Winterizing Your Motorcycle

Winterizing Your Motorcycle

This is something that Spears Racing has seen and has been working with for decades, this will be different for everyone depending on your location, we have given an oversight to what we would recommend, and have done for street bikes, track day bikes and race bikes.

It seems that every spring we field several calls from different areas, more in the upper USA and the East cost. These calls are from my bike will not start (dead Battery) to my oil looks milky.

We believe that a little time on the end of season will give you a lot more happiness when your winter is over and you are excited to get your bike back in action.

Winterizing Your Motorcycle Checklist

Fill the Tank and Add Fuel Stabilizer – Fresh fuel is best. Make sure that you use fresh stabilizer as well – a bottle is only good for two years after you open it.

Change the Oil Filter – You should change your oil and filter, even if you did it recently. The by products of used oil are very corrosive, and you don’t want that sitting all winter.

Drain the Carburetor – Turn off the main gas valve from the tank. Next, open the petcock and close the valve when it stops flowing.

Keep mice out of mufflers – Mufflers and air cleaners are “homes of choice” for critters. Keep them out by stuffing a sandwich bag with steel wool and then pushing the bag into the air intake and tailpipes. The bag keeps steel wool strands out of the engine. Use bright-colored caution tape as a reminder to remove it in the spring.

Remove the Battery or Install a Maintainer – You can do either. A battery maintainer charges the battery only when it needs it; connect one to your battery, and you’ll be able to start the bike right up when spring arrives. It’s fine to remove the battery entirely as well.

Water wetter or Like products– Every year I sell approximately 20 freeze plugs for the cylinder heads on the SV650’s this is primarily due to the “none Glycol based Products” My Recommendation is to drain your race bikes cooling system and add coolant /antifreeze for the winter. This is a few minutes of time compared to a lot of $$$ in the spring.

Check Antifreeze and Coolant – Dip the suction tube of the coolant tester into the radiator. Suck up enough to make the indicator float, and read the protection level. Change the fluids if they’re not up to par.

Fogging your Engine – Some shops think this step is overkill, but it can’t hurt. Fogging prevents corrosion by covering internal engine parts with a light coat of oil. There’s no downside to it. Just make sure you do this step outdoors—it creates a lot of smoke. If your bike needs new spark plugs, install them before you fog the engine. Start fogging by removing the air filter (the fogging oil will clog the filter material). Then start the bike. Spray the fogging oil directly into the air intake as you increase the idle speed to 2,000 rpm. Stop spraying when the engine quits.

A Good thick moving banket on top of the bike cover once it is on front and rear track stands will make your bike baby warm and happy for the next few months.

Winterizing-your-Motorcycle